Gas motor engine



GAS MOTOR ENGINE. No. 288,478. r Patented Nov. 13, 1883.-

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ime STATES L TENT FFEEO NlGOLAUS A. oTTo, or DEUTZ-ON-THE-RHINE, PRUSSIA, GE -MANY;

GAS-MOTOR ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 288,478, dated November 13,1883,

' Application filed May 3. 1883. (No modem Patented in England April 3,1883,No.1,677

To all whom it may concern: Be it knownthat I, NrcoLAUs Aucusr Orro,

useful Improvement in Gas-Motor Engines, (for which provisional protection has been ;obtained in Great Britain, No. 1,677, dated April 3, 1883,) ofi which the following is a specification. i 1

My invention has for its object to produce a very uniform or equable motion in single-act ing gas-motor engines that is to say, those -in which the admission and ignition of a combustible gaseous charge take place on one The invention consists in causing the power produced by the combustion of: a gaseous charge tobe partially expended during the outstroke of the piston in increasing the compression of air which has already previously been compressed to a certain extent, and which j is allowed to expand again on the return stroke of the piston, thus giving out the power I previously stored up.

Various arrangements may be employed for carrying out the invention. In the arrange ment employed, by preference, there is provided, in combination with the engine, a closed receiver or chamber, in which air is, in the first instance, compressed to a certain degree by a hand-pump, or other suitable means, so that atthe commencement of the working outstroke of the piston,when the expansive force of the combustiongases is greatest, there shall be opposed to it a considerable resistance in causing it to effect the further compression of the already compressed air in the receiver. The compression of the air may be effected either directly by the working-piston, by clos ing the front end of the cylinder and estab lishing a communication between the front end and the compressed-air receiver, so that the in front of the piston, being under the same pressure as that existing in the receiver, willbe forced back into the latter; or the front end of the cylinder may be open, as

usual, and a second cylinder be provided,

which communicates with the ainreceiver, and whose piston is connected to the crank back into the reservoir 6.

shaft in such manner that when the working piston is performing its outstroke the piston inthe auxiliary cylinder is caused to force the air from the latter into the receiver, while on the return stroke of the working-piston the compressed air, in expanding in the auxiliary cylinder, moves its piston, so as to transmit the power thus, given off to the crank-shaft. In employing this arrangement it is convenient to construct the engine with two working cylinders, as shown at Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings. 7 i

a and b are twoworking-cylinders, with pistons a and b connected to parallel cranks on the crank-shaft 0. Between these is a third cylinder, d,with piston d connected by a pipe,

f, with the compressed-air reservoir 6, The

crank of the piston d is diametrically opposite those of a and b, so that, when the latter alternately perform their working'outstroke on the combustion and expansion of a gaseous charge, the piston d will, be made to perform its instroke, forcing the air under pressure contained in the cylinder through the pipe f On the return-stroke 0f the pistons a bi the compressed air in 6 will force the piston d outward, thus giving offthe power again that was previously stored up.

his a hand-pump for charging the reservoir with air of the requiredprcssure in the first instance. A cock, Z, is provided for preventing theescape of the air-pressure when the engine is not at work.

Fig. 2 shows a sectional plan of an arrangement in which the additional compressing-cylinder is dispensed with, the front end of the cylinder I) being closed and connected directly by a pipe, f, with the reservoir 0. The reservoir is also connected by a second pipe, 9, provided with a check-valve, h, with an intermediate point in the length of the cylinder, by which arrangement any loss of pressure in the reservoir, due to leakage is made good automatically at each working-outstroke of the piston, inasmuch as, when the piston passes beyond the opening of g, the gases under pressure contained behind it will enter 6 and raise the air therein to the same pressure. The check-valve it prevents such pressure from passing back again when, by the further expansion of the 109 gases, their pressurehas decreased. By reguating the load on this valve the degree of pressure in the air-vessel will also be regulated. It will be evident that this arrangement could also be applied to the construction of engine shown at Fig. 1, by connecting either one or both cylinders a b, at an intermediate point of their length, with the airreservoir e by a pipe provided Wlthfl check-valve.

From the foregoing description it will readily be seen that the unequal action of singleaoting gas-motor engines will, by this invention, be effectually compensated and a comparatively uniform motion be obtained without the use of large and heavy fly-wheels. As is Well understood, the explosion of the combustible'charge of such engines develops veryconsiderable force during the working-outst'roke of'the piston, resulting in a very rapid outward motion of the piston and correspondin gly rapid semi-revolution of the crankshaft, while the remainder of the revolution of the latter and the return-stroke of the piston can only be effected by the expenditure of theois mloastored up in the shaft and fly-wheel during the outstroke. Hence it follows-that, unless the ily-wheel be made inconveniently large and massive, so as to enable it to take up a large amount of Ms viva, the returnstroke of the piston and second half of the revolution of the shaft will take place at a comparatively slow-speed,the-unsteady motion of the engine thus obtained rendering it 1111- suitable for worksuch as driving dynamoelectric machines requiring a very uniform motion. Now, by expending a portion of the power developed during the worki-ngoutstroke in compressing air in a reservoir or chamber, as above described, and then allowing the motive power thus stored up to be given off during the returnstrokc of the piston, it will be very evident that the power developed by the engine will practically be 1. In a gas-motor engine, in which the admission and combustion of gaseous charges takes place only at one side of the piston, the

method of operating the same, which consists in expending a portion of the powerproducec: by the combustion of the charge duripg thc working-stroke of the piston, to increase 1111:." pressure of air which has been previously com pressed to a certain degree, and afterward expanding said air upon the return-stroke ofthe piston, to apply the power stored up, substantially as described.

' .2. Inoombination with a gas-motor "engine in which the admission and combustion of' the gaseous charges take place on one side :of the piston only, a compressed-air reservoir, the i air in which is stil1=further OOIIIPIGSSGd GILlHg the worki-ngoutstroke of the engine-piston and expands again during the instrokeof the engine-piston, substantially as and for thepurpose herein described.

3. In a gas-motor engine, the combination of two single=acting cylinders, a b, whose pistons a b are connected to parallel crank'son the engine-shaft c, with a compressing-cylinder, d, whose piston d is-connected to a crank opposite to those of a b, and which isco'nnectd by ai'pipe, f, with-a reservoir, 6, for compressed air, substantially as herein described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 13th day of April, A. D. 1883. I, w

NIOOLAUS AUGUST OTTO. 'Witness'es:

PrI. REIrM-ANN,

SAMUEL 'SPAOKMAN. 

